This invention relates to a transfer device that can be used to transport material that is supported on a shaft. More particularly, the invention relates to a transfer deivce that can be used to transport rolls of cut paper that are rotatably positioned on support shafts.
In the paper industry it has been common to have a large roll of paper that is cut into smaller widths as these smaller widths are more useful for later applications. The paper is slit as it is unrolled from the large roll and then the paper is rewound on separate shafts that are spaced apart from the large roll. The paper is normally collected on the support shafts in a staggered fashion so that adjacent sections of cut paper are positioned on different support shafts. The staggered positioning of the cut paper is necessary to ensure that the cut sections of paper are fully separated and to prevent any interaction or birdnesting between adjacent sections of the cut paper as they are rewound on the support shafts. Once the cut paper has been rewound on the support shafts, the rewound cut paper must be moved so that it can be further processed into the desired end use form. Normally a crane is used where workers position the lifting means on the crane to engage and lift the support shafts and then the support shafts are moved by the crane to the next step in the processing operation. At this next station the workers must remove the lifting means on the crane and also usually remove the support shafts from the rolls of cut paper supported thereon. When the shafts have been removed the paper is now ready to be processed in the next station. The workers must then return the support shafts to the original winding station and also return the crane to the initial winding station so that it can be reused to transport the rolls of cut paper. Obviously, there is a great deal of hand labor in this operation and several men can be tied up in this operation. However, when the paper is being wound onto the support shafts there is very little for these men to do during this phase of the operation. Accordingly, there is a great deal of unproductive time for the workers. The present invention is designed to greatly reduce the amount of manual labor that is required in transferring the rolls of cut paper.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved transfer device for transferring rolls of cut paper that are supported on a support shaft.
It is a further object of the invention to greatly reduce the amount of manual labor required to transfer rolls of cut paper in a processing operation.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from reading the following description in connection with the attached drawings.